Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-07-01
Cremation I'm Alaska.

H1ving had information the other
day Of cremation to take place at the
Indian village. went to the beach to
witness 1t. The defunct siwash was
known around Juneau as Frank and wa,
formerly employed at Martin Brothers
store in the canacity Of Indian clerk,
and the Hickman Gt being q double
cremation of one of each sex) had been
called Jennie; both. rs 1t happened,
having died Of consumption. The
mourning service consisted OF tn"
ancient ceremony known as ''potlatch,"
which is always customary among the
Indians Of Southeastern Alaska on the
occasion Of the death of one of their
number. The potlatch is a division Of
whatever temporal goods the deceased
may have possessed, such MS blankets,
drv goods. ETC., among his or her re-
lationS according as the merits OF each
individual case NAV justify.
In the services of the mourning, which
nrc very long, and to the Indian mind
very impressive. the first in the order o.
the day is culog1stic discourse by 0nc
of the old men, which, being delivered
Ivy him in sections, so TO speak, is taken
un and sung by the rest in monotonous
sort of chant; the old man is then super
sedrd by another venerable buck. who
goes through the same service, and he in
turn bv another, until all the old mcn
have had their individual say. The
chantcrs keep time by humping the
floor with sticks and beating on drum
This performance being gone over for n
dav or two. the potlatch takes place.
The body of the deceased is first
wrapp d in a mating, woven from split
roots. and in appearance resembling
coarse straw. They then convey the
body to the place OF cremation, which is
always on the beach at high water mark.
On this occasion they had on hand for
the purpose of burning the two bodies
about one cord Of wood, some split and
some in logs. First platform OF small
logs is laid foot from the ground. and
space of foar inches between each log.
On this pyrc, which was about seven
feet long by five feet wide. the two
bodies were placed, about three feet apart,
and around them miniature log hut
was built to the height of four feet; the
incoscd space is then carefully filed in
with split wood and fine kindling, and
now, everything being in readiness, the
fire is Lighted fir, m the bottom. The
native diet being chiefly salmon, an oilv
substance, the bodies of the Indians
seem to contain considerable amount
of oil, as they burn very readily. While
the corrses were charring, the friends of
The deceased continued to poke them with
long sticks, occasionally raking the frag-
ments of burnt flesh from the fire and
wrapping them in skins, blankets, etc.
Returning from the cremation Of the
two natives, heard singing in native
house, and dropped in to sec what was
going on.
There was quite an assembIagc of ma
tives squntted around small fire in the
centre of the room, and at one end of
the house the corpse of an old woman
lay, covered with sheets and blankets.
All around the room was strung up mus
lin, pieces of calico and a few blankets;
also, three umbrel as etc., all of which
will be distributed among the relatives
and near friends. Then the process
described above will be gone through. -
| Alaska Free Press.